Lizzie's Tasty Journey

Cafe Rita Harrogate - Afternoon Tea

2013-04-28T16:09:00.001-07:00

Afternoon Tea for two at Cafe Rita, Harrogate

A recent treat came in the shape of Cafe Rita, located on Bower Street, Harrogate. As a group of guests with lofty expectations, my friends and I went with open but suspicious minds. Surely afternoon tea inclusive of a glass of bucks fizz all for 9.95 could not be up to much. But I was reasonably impressed!
The cafe is quite intimate, located near to the bus and train stations and slightly away from the main shopping thoroughfare. They have a very extensive menu, (I was glad I came specifically for the AT) and are open 7 days.

Afternoon Tea cakes, Cafe Rita, Harrogate

Delicate cake stands were grand and imposing, filled to the brim with generous portions of afternoon delights.

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches, Harrogate, Cafe Rita

The selection of sandwiches were standard, but neatly displayed and larger than you average finger sandwich! We asked for some changes for vegetarians or allergies and all our requests were met politely. Tea was also refilled on tap.

Scones in the afternoon, Cafe Rita

The scones were light and delicious and the miniature cakes were certainly adequate for the overall value of our experience. Thanks Rita, whoever you may be!

Lovely china, Cafe Rita, Harrogate

Sangria in Nicosia - Cyprus

2013-04-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sangria in Nicosia

It's been long while since I saw any sunshine, so my recent trip to Cyprus was a real god send. My friend Ashleigh is lucky to have generous parents willing to let us go and stay in their beautiful apartment. Their second home is situated in the small town of Peyia, around 30mins drive from Paphos. This gorgeous place is a laid back cluster of local grocers, bakeries and bars including 'The Jail', a one time prison and more recent rustic looking public house where the expats like to meet and greet. The owner is forthcoming with stories, historical paperwork referencing his pub and a collection of British police constable hats behind the bar!

Now, a girl can while away a fair few hours around a pool with cocktails and snacks, but then you begin to feel a little guilty for not absorbing any local culture. So we took the Jimmy 4x4 two hours up the road to Nicosia - locally known as Lefkosia. Interestingly it is the only remaining divided capital city in the world. Halved between southern Greece and northern Turkey, it was once a controversial barbed and armed affair which has become much more relaxed in recent years. Once we arrived in the city and parked up we really just meandered around aimlessly, a little unprepared without a map. We found the old city wall bustling with people and public transport but safely headed into the old city streets. Much of this area is pedestrianised with high street names and food chains, but some boutique stores are mixed amongst. We walked through the souvenir and craft stalls right up to the passport control point without even realising. Strangely the atmosphere at the check point was like a queue in a theme park. One stamp in your passport by a jovial official and off you pop into Turkey. What an adventure!

Buyuk Han - Great Inn, Nicosia.

Within the old crumbling buildings on the other side of the line, we found a beautiful courtyard known a Buyuk Han, or Great Inn. This place was once an 18th century Ottoman tradesman pit stop. It later served as a safe house for the homeless, and lent itself well as a prison. Now it simply offers great food, spirited service and handicrafts behind each quaint little doors. We panicked a little when we realised the currency had changed into Turkish Lira, but the friendly waitress explained the two currencies were interchangeable within such close proximity of the border.

Ladies who lunch in Buyuk Han, Nicosia.

With the sun beating down and the atmosphere a quiet calm, we ordered a fresh jug of sangria and some alfresco lunch. One fresh a fruity cheese platter, a token portion of halloumi and pitta and some marinaded prawns. What a treat! Ash had made it her mission to eat halloumi everyday and to be honest Amy and I were not far behind. Halloumi is a Cypriot hard cheese made from goat and sheep's milk, sometimes cow's too. It is perfect grilled or barbecued as it retains it's firm texture when cooked.

Cheese board platter, Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Alfresco Halloumi, Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Lunch in Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Sangria in Nicosia

The friendly locals wanted to chat to us and ensure we were enjoying our surroundings. The waitress was most kind acting as interpreter with this fine fellow. What a magnificent moustache!

After lunch at the height of the afternoon sun, we browsed the handicrafts before hopping and skipping back across the border for a spot of shopping. We later found that the main shopping area we were perusing was the Lidras or Ledra Street, formerly linking north and south as the UN buffer zone. Further refreshment! We rested at Heraclis Cafe and Restaurant along the Lidras and shared a couple of ice cream sundaes. They have a wonderful choice of flavours and again offered a lovely outdoor table on the pedestrian street. We could people watch while enjoying the sunshine and even made a little friend who was pleased to greet those passing by.

Cherry ice cream sundae, Heraclis, Nicosia.

Chocolate ice cream sundae, Heraclis, Nicosia

Parrot friend, Heraclis, Nicosia.

Later in the afternoon we spotted a cafe offering flavoured shisha, it looked pretty chilled and seemed a nice way to end a day of relaxed indulgence.

Hookah, shisha cafe, Nicosia.

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights - Cardamon Rice Pudding

2013-03-17T13:15:00.001-07:00

'...Indulgent but balanced food that celebrates the simple joy of eating' - Sophie Dahl.

Cardamon Rice Pudding

Tom's mum sent us a copy of Sophie Dahl's cook book which was rather intriguing as I always think of her grandfather's characterisation of the little girl Sophie in The BFG. How such a girl can develop recipes to tempt and capture the imagination is a testament to old Roald.

The book looks at seasonal recipes for breakfast, lunch and supper, but I of course headed straight for the pudding section.

My Nana has her own legacy- rice pudding, so I was taken with this scented version. I adapted Sophie's recipe slightly to resemble my Nana's methods and polished it off with a spoon full of my friend Jenny's Rhubarb and Orange marmalade.

Cardamon Rice Pudding

Ingredients
1.4 litres Kara coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
300g pudding rice
8 cardamon pods deseeded and crushed
50g honey
4 knobs of butter

Method

1. Pour the milk and cinnamon into a heavy bottomed oven dish and stir in the rice.
2. Add the crushed cardamon seeds, butter and honey and stir.
3. Transfer to a preheated oven 200C and bake stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Add more milk if it begins to dry out.

My Nana uses condensed milk which creates the delicious caramel layer that rice pudding gets when baked, this didn't materialise when using coconut milk but it was obviously much healthier.

I also wanted to mention my new Hanson mechanical scales which Tom kindly bought me for Christmas! I love them. I was getting sick of replacing digital scale batteries so these work for me.

Hanson mechanical scales

Mini Yorkshire Apple Curd Tarts

2013-03-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Amongst the battered old cook books on my mums shelf above her kitchen door are a collection she was given by my Dad's mother, my grandma. My grandma was a Yorkshire housewife I never had the pleasure of knowing, but one I can learn from when referring to her hand written notes in the margins of her cookbooks.

I was looking for a traditional cold sweet recipe to enter a competition at work, but nothing I found in these books sounded refined enough to grace the cake trolley at Bettys despite it's Yorkshire theme, more a mass of material worthy of farmers and millers and those fascinating dishes traditionally connected with Yorkshire. After trialing and failing one Wharfedale Orange Tart, it became obvious to me that some of the recipes were probably cooked on coal of wood stoves and cooking times in modern ovens probably are quite difficult to negotiate. One disastrous tart emerged slamming any confidence I had in entering a competition with any time soon. The other thing is that all the weights and measures appear in lbs and oz. which is a good test of my maths.

A curd tart recipe jumped out at me as it had a little twist of apple. Curd tart is a keen family favourite so I decided to bake some mini versions as another test case. They came out rather well and adding some berries made them appear slightly healthier despite all the butter. To me these are more of a custard and less a curd, but they are delicious!

Yorkshire Apple Curd Tarts

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry- makes 500g
500g plain flour
50g sugar
250g cold butter cubed
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs
a splash of milk

(the additional pastry dough can be frozen to use later)

For the filling

60g butter

60g sugar

1 egg

1 Bramley cooking apple peeled and cored

Method

1. Make the pastry. Rub the butter into the sifted flour using your finger tips. Once resembling bread crumbs, add the sugar, bind together with the lemon, eggs and milk until it is a soft sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.

2. Melt the butter ad sugar in a pan over a low heat.

2. Remove from the stove to cool a little and then add the beaten egg and grated apple.

3. Take the pastry out the fridge. Roll out on a floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Use a cutter to the desired size and fit the round discs into a patty or mini cake tray. I used a silicone cupcake tray.

4. Add spoons of the egg mixture to your pastry cases being careful not to overfill or splash as the mixture will catch in the oven.

5. Bake for 15-20 mins on 180C or until golden and the curd is set.

Nepalese Yak Yeti Yak - Bath

2013-02-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

30th birthday cake

My sister is another year older and this year was a milestone. A special trip down to Bath was in order to celebrate and so the five hour drive had to be made worthwhile! Spending time with family on your birthday is important but choosing the right place to get together can turn a family reunion into an unforgettable evening for all the right reasons. Jen decided that she wanted to eat out somewhere she has enjoyed a few times now. Nepalese food is a bit off the beaten track and Yak Yeti Yak on Pierrepont Street, Bath is a great place to sample the subtle blends of flavour in a comfortable and relaxed basement restaurant. The music and incense catapult you to Nepal and the friendly service is a bonus. An extensive menu is made easier with the offer of a set meal menu, both meat and vegetarian options are both extensive.

Yak Yeti Yak - set menu

Maasko Dal -Split black lentil sauce

We all plumped for the set meat menu which included the all time classic Nepalese meal of rice, your choice of black or orange dal, aloo channa which is a potato and chickpea dish spiced with cumin, fresh crispy popadums, and delicious stone-ground chutney. With these side dishes you also get your choice of meat dish. I went for the lamb tamar; a slow cooked lamb with bamboo shoots, black-eye peas and potato finished with tomato and coriander. The food is cooked to order and we were asked to specify if we preferred to alter the spice levels. It was good to know that the food was sourced locally, to.
The two dal options were both delicious, the black tasted a little more earthy and the orange was a little sweeter. Musurko Dal- Split orange lentil sauce cooked with traditional spices and finished with garlic fried in vegan butter. Maasko Dal -Split black lentil sauce cooked with traditional spices and finished with Himalayan herbs fried in butter.

Nepalese dinner - Yak Yeti Yak

The food really was delicious and so different from either Indian or Asian tastes we are used to and you could taste the goodness in each dish. I was very impressed with everything!

Birthday cake

We asked the waiter to bring out a birthday cake after the meal and he was very obliging. I brought the cake on a piece of card wrapped in foil and he followed my lead wrapping the knife and box in foil too!

As always, Tom being Tom decided to have a dessert as well! He opted for a sweetened spiced carrot tartlet, Yak Yeti Yak's contemporary version of a Kathmandu classic with ice-cream. The tart was not too sweet at all and clearly a healthy pudding if ever I tasted!

Happy birthday!

Beverley's Indulgent Tart

2012-11-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Beverley Cathedral - Picture by V. Ellory

Beverley is somewhere I had never been before until recently. Apart from the annoyance of a parking ticket brought about by some rather shoddy time keeping, me, my sister, tom and my dad had an impromptu visit the other week and we were pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of the shopping but more importantly the places to eat. There were some great cooking shops including Steamer Trading Cookshop which had an amazing range of cooking supplies,enough to rival Lakeland. We also had a look inside the beautiful cathedral building where we were welcomed by a tour guide should we want more information about the history. It's amazing that people travel the world looking at religious sites, but fail to look at the beauty on offer in their locality. We take the history and architecture for granted, but we should really look at these buildings with awe and pride at our own achievements.

This all followed a spot of lunch at a place which caught our eye because of the gorgeous looking pastries in the window. Wholesome sausage rolls and more refined onion, bacon or goats cheese tarts drew us in and the sweet patisseries looked even more inviting.

The Indulgent Tarte- Beverley


Indulgent tarts from Indulgent Tarte- Beverley

The rustic and homemade feel of this little cafe made for a perfect resting stop. The two women running the place were lovely, very helpful and accommodating of our requests to sample a few things from the menu in a different order. It was also nice to see them serving Yorkshire Tea! A selection of the food on offer is pictured below and all was very delicious and satisfying.

Goats cheese open sandwich and delicious Spanish tortilla

Salami, Spanish tortilla and sweet chili platter

Goats cheese salad and onion tart - Indulgent Tarte Beverley

Sweet Patisserie - Indulgent Tarte - Beverley

We wandered around a few of the many upmarket charity shops and generally absorbed the market town atmosphere. I really like Beverley and would be happy to visit again soon.

Whitby Pit Stop

2012-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

After our afternoon in Robin Hoods Bay we drove back towards Harrogate and called in at Whitby for some more sea air and a bag of chips from The Magpie Cafe. There was the usual queue even on a week day, but it was half term and the week leading up to the Town's Gothic weekend in which it hosts festive Halloween events- held in Whitby for its Dracula connections. There were some darkly dressed but colourful characters wandering about, including families dressed up in black velvet capes with black lipstick. Looking beyond this, Whitby was up to its usual picturesque standard and the abbey was still looking down on the bobbing moored fishing boats.

Whitby Harbour

As always, first stop was a fish mongers where we bought a pot of fresh mixed cockles, mussels and whelks to nibble on. Although these little sea creatures look a little odd, they are packed with flavour and protein to boot. I could take or leave the chunky whelks, but delicate cockles are by far superior seafood!

Pot of cockles, mussels and whelks, Whitby

We enjoyed a meander through the cobbled streets and alley ways and stopped for Tom's brother Dec to buy a stick of rock, although I could scarcely choose one from this display. There was even a full English breakfast made of rock but toffee apples and candy floss are more familiar offerings...

Whitby sticks of rock

...and then we had some fun in 'Fun City' slot machines. It really is amazing how a plastic cup filled with 2 pence pieces can bring so much frustration. The warmth of a bag of take away chips with salt and vinegar cut through the fresh sea breeze. It was nice to stretch our legs before the long drive back.

Whitby slot arcades

Robin Hoods Bay - Chocolate Box of Memories

2012-11-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Robin Hoods Bay

Rarely do you find a place that holds so many wonderful memories, other than the house you were brought up in. Robin Hoods Bay however is like a memory playground for me. Every corner holds comical nostalgia. When I was a child, we owned the white cottage which looks over the sea wall. It has a very narrow gable end which widens as you head down the hill to the bay and has lots of character with higgledy piggledy windows. The back of the cottage looks out over the sea and the sight of it always reminds me of my weetabix t-shirt. I have an old photograph of me sat on the backdoor step ironically eating weetabix. Unfortunately, my younger sister Victoria did the same thing a few years later (minus weetabix t-shirt) and had her breakfast stolen from her hand by a particularly cheeky seagull. I also remember walking to the old fashioned sweet shop 'Dollies' I think then it was owned by three elderly ladies. I always thought me and my sisters could take over one day. I would savor my bag of rhubarb, apple and custard sweets over the week we stayed. Our arrival down the hill in the car would always be precluded by a round of ''She'll be coming round the mountain" and my dad challenging who could see the sea first!

Georgian House, Robin Hoods Bay.

This time, the visit was made more special as I could share it with Tom and his brother Declan. Tom has joined me on a day trip to the old place once before, but we were well due another turn about and it was nice to spend some time with Dec too. It is a very peaceful place and for somewhere hilly, it is even worth a trip if you are on crutches!

Tom and Dec -Bros on RHB beach

Before lunch we had a little stroll along the beach; looking in rock pools, picking up shells and commenting on strange seaweed, then back onto New Road to look around and find out what was new. There are a good range of lovely gift shops, eateries and all completely independent which to me is what makes Robin Hoods Bay so special. It is still a little piece of smuggler history with a family seaside spirit. Lots of nooks and crannies for smuggling luggers to hide their contraband.
Walking down the narrow streets we peered in the windows of a new (to me) chocolate shop called 'Browns'. The selection of confectionery was very impressive- ice cream and sweets were on show too. We hand selected a bag of mixed choccies for our reward once we made it to the top of Station Road- the steep hill back to the car.

Browns Chocolate Shop, Robin Hoods Bay

Browns chocolate heaven window, Robin Hoods Bay

Sitting on a bench at the top of the hill we looked out onto the sea and scoffed a few each. A champagne and almond. Whiskey, Baileys and Coconut flavours. White chocolate, Turkish Delight and Rose Cream. All delicious! After making ourselves decidedly sick, we headed on for Whitby and another adventure.

Browns chocolate, Robin Hoods Bay

Delicious chocolate treats, Robin Hoods Bay

Hazelnut, Browns, Robin Hoods Bay

White Chocolate, Browns RHB

Another memory to add to the bank. What a wonderful place to get some fresh air and comfort on a clear Autumn day followed by a lovely drive over the moors home!

Valentine's Treats

2012-09-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this lovely chocolate figure picture. It was given to me by one of my students on Valentine's Day 2012. Most of the young girls made chocolates from kits they bought at the local accessory and stationary shops for young'uns (although I was quite partial to shopping there myself for cute Korean goodies). The kits contained molds, sprinkles and chocolate to melt, plus individual bags for the chocolate gifts to be wrapped in. It is common for kids to give their teachers little gifts on Valentine's Day, something I found strange at first but that now seems completely normal!

Angel-In-Us Coffee

2012-09-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

Starting work at 1 or 2pm at an English academy means you have the morning time to kick back, catch up with friends, get a spot of Korean study under your belt or have a good gossip; all over a coffee.

My favourite coffee spot in Korea had to be Angel-in-us Coffee, purely for the nonsensical name and branding common to much of Korea and adherent to baffling Konglish tendencies. I especially loved Samgye's Angel-in-us, because of the big windows where you could watch the Korean world go by. Also, it had a view of my academy; providing a quick skip across the road to work!

Korean coffee shops have it all right, comfortable seating, open spaces, quirky decor and big mugs! It was not unusual to be given 'service' chocolate bars, plus coupons for free coffee and cheap as chips merchandise were also a big draw for me. One of these delightful mugs made it as my Secret Santa gift and within the 10,000won budget.

Barista courses are very popular among young Korean women who dream of having their own coffee shop selling western inspired cakes and confectionery. Many Coffee shops in Masan came and went, and it was clear that although most of the proprietors had great passion for design, taste and all things pretty, there was little room for making money if you gave free brownies to every customer! This sweetness in employee character and atmosphere made Korean coffee shops one of my favourite resting places. You were filled with the charm of Korea and humbled to be treated with such respect and concern for your comfort.
.

You could sit and devour two or three coffees over a couple of hours and sit alone, with a friend or a host of Korean study and note books in a large window seat, without ever being asked to move on or buy more. As regular customers, you were greeted with adorably enthusiastic English greetings and an offer of assistance with your studies!

Koreans have a love of all foods western; bagels, sandwiches, cheesecake, paninis, ice cream, cookies and doughnuts. Despite this, there is still a vehement passion and a firm refusal to give up their own traditional sweet treats as should be the case. The two streams are found together in most bakers and coffee shops. There is a distinct love of sweetness in this place. I can just taste that blackberry cheese cake. . .

Camping is so much better with Fondue

2012-09-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of camping while we were away, so now we are back we want to keep this up and make the most of the patchy summer weather. We took a trip north of Harrogate up to Leyburn and set up camp for the evening in a lovely garden camping field. It was quiet and we had our own picnic bench and private garden complete with stream at the gorgeous Craken House which lies about a mile out of Leyburn, Wensleydale. There were a handful of caravans on the further paddocks, but we were the only tent. The campsite overlooks Middleham and the scenery is gorgeous. Facilities there are basic but clean and tidy and although the driveway up to the house is a little confusing, the neighbours pointed us in the right direction :) Camping cost 10 pounds: one night for two people and a car.

So, once we had unpacked the boot and backseats of the car which had been filled with duvets, pillows, walking boots and a hamper of food, we set up the gas stove and started to cook our Swiss cheese fondue!

Swiss Cheese Fondue

450g Emmental Cheese
450g Swiss Gruyere Cheese
One quarter of a bottle of dry white wine
1 tbsp cornflour
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 juice of one lemon
Seasoning

Method

1. Mix the cheese and cornflour in a bowl (or bag if you are taking the ingredients camping).
2. Pour the wine and lemon juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the crushed garlic. You can add a few sprigs of thyme or cloves at this point, too.
3. Slowly add the cheese mixture a handful at a time, stirring lightly until all the cheese has melted.
4. Season to taste

The beauty of eating fondue while camping is that you can put the cheese in one pot and take blanched crudities and crusty bread along with you. It might be worth trying this with some Wensleydale cheese! Whatever cheese you choose, this makes a lovely comforting one pot meal which is very simple to make and involves very little washing up. This is a good thing as we always, always forget our washing up stuff! We also took a bottle of ale and enjoyed the rest of the wine to wash it all down. The alcohol definitely helps you wind down and keeps you warm during the night! Although you shouldn't really be able to taste the alcohol in the fondue, be careful to cook off your wine for long enough to release most of the alcohol before adding the cheese! You need to keep the cheese loose by maintaining the heat beneath the pan so make sure you have lots of gas for your stove! The heat from the pan also acts as a lovely warm fire!

We packed everything up and had a little walk through the sheep fields, all of them looked at us suspiciously (probably because we smelled of garlic, cheese and wine).

The next morning we drove up to Aysgarth Falls, the setting for the very wet Kevin Costner fight scene in 'Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves'. We enjoyed the shorter walking trail along the riverside including the upper, middle and lower falls and delighted in exploring our dearly missed English countryside!

Jeju Gumgyeol (Kumquats)

2012-09-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

These tiny oranges are delicious but a little disconcerting. No one likes pith, peel or seeds. They are tedious to get rid of and lets not forget messy! We were first served gumgyeol at school on our lunch tray, where we were encouraged to pop them down the hatch all in one, one at a time. Packed with vitamins and tiny edible seeds, the bitter peel is consumed along with the sweet citrus fruit and you can taste the goodness without any mess! The fruit grows well on Korea's very own paradise island, Jeju. It is often sold as a kind of marmalade tea which provides a warm and nutritiously packed alternative to hot chocolate during winter time when the weather really takes a plunge into bitterness!

Mussels in Korean Beer

2012-09-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

In our last few weeks in Korea, we realised we had talked about cooking some of the mussels sold on the street by the ajumammas for weeks and weeks. We had a spare can of Korean beer in the pantry and decided we should combine the two with a french loaf from our local baker.

Mussels in Korean Beer

50g butter
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can of Korean beer
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
2 kg mussels cleaned
220ml double cream
crusty bread to share

Method

1. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large pan.

2. Brown the onions in a little salt for 3-5 minutes and then add the garlic.

3. Add the bay leaf and thyme to the pan and pour over the beer.

4. Bring to the boil and then add the mussels.

5. Cover the mussels tightly and boil for 2-3minutes shaking occassionally.

6. Use tongs to pick out the mussels, removing and discarding unopened mussels.

7. Add the cream to the sauce, boil for a further 2 minutes.

8. Season well and serve the mussels in a large bowl to share with the liquid poured over.

We ate our mussels with some steamed broccoli and crusty bread.

Bettys Certificate Course so far... and Vegetarian Ponderings.

2012-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

So Tuesday was a busy old day. I had just about recovered from the information and butter overload on day one. Tuesday was food hygiene and introduction day. We introduced the person sat next to us and I introduced my partner Suzanne as a mum of 6; a self employed business woman who wants to take time out to do something different. She introduced me as a food lover, who is working towards a career change having spent time out in Korea figuring myself out, exploring food and the course was my reward for 2 years away from English food! She also explained that the main thing I want to get out of the course is how to do everything properly, especially meat preparation.

Since coming back from Korea, I have had a rethink about vegetarianism. Korea and the countries around it, have really opened my eyes to the principal that people around the world eat meat without question. That doesn't mean I agree with their food processes, but it does mean I have become a little less sensitive and perhaps more realistic about meat. Asian countries especially, seem to embrace the flavours and textures of their food and separate the whole thing from the lambs and pigs frolicking in the fields. A few people have joked around with me for some time that meat eating is something I am seriously missing out on. On the other hand people have commend my resilience when faced with difficulties while living in a culture that cannot understand vegetarianism. I am a vegetarian of 14 years and find the idea of eating meat strange and exotic! I have always brushed it off when Tom has commented that I will be lacking important nutrients. But knowing I was coming home to do this cooking course, I began to wonder how I would cope even preparing meat and to a certain extent fish as well. Food with a face!

It led me to think long and hard and I began to question my reasoning for doing the course at Bettys. Why put myself through it. Bettys is an institution, and a company which sources every single ingredient carefully and ethically in order to reap the best quality products. Free range butchers and locally sourced ingredients are of the highest standards. I realised that above everything else, I really enjoy cooking and eating and at the end of the day it is something I think will make me happy to be involved with day to day. I could not seriously attempt to get the most out of this rather expensive ten day stint or likewise a career in cookery, if I was not prepared to taste fifty percent of the end results.

So I did something rather naughty. On the plane on the way back to England, Tom had luckily been offered three seats to himself further down the plane where he could lie down. I was alone and really hungry. Lots of things were going around in my mind, it was a long flight home and it was a time of reflection, the end of an adventure. I realised that as an adult, I had not eaten meant, (other than the odd sneaky camouflaged ham or minced beef I found in my food in Korea). To me this seemed strange and I realised for the most part, it was psychological. The guilt, the judgement, the 100 different opinions. So when the flight steward asked me chicken or lamb, I said, "chicken, please". Nobody around me knew I was vegetarian, the airline and my director had failed to provide me with a pre-ordered alternative and I was hungry. So while no one was looking, somewhere above Russia, I ate some chicken.... and it was okay. Nobody gasped in horror, nobody laughed or made chicken sounds. When Tom came back he didn't believe me when I told him what I had done.

So since then, I have sampled a few bits and bobs and taken the notion that I shall not pigeon hole myself as vegetarian, I will simply embrace the Bettys experience and see what happens.

All the dishes below have been cooked by myself on the course, and sampled by myself.

Tuesday

Eggs Benedict/ Florentine - Poached eggs on a toasted Bettys English muffin with ham and homemade hollandaise.

Plaice ready to fillet

Filleted plaice goujons - all by myself

Hardest part of the day: Looking that fish in the eye.
Best part of the day: Filleting my first ever fish.

The rest of the day was spent on the hygiene course.

Wednesday

Bettys full fat and creamy porridge. Secret ingredient is salt and brown sugar mixed in.

I opened my first ever oyster

And threw it down the hatch.

Cauliflower puree with pan-fried scallops and a red wine dressing.

So satisfying, 8 minute chocolate fondants. Served with Bettys breadcrumb ice cream

Rack of lamb, bones exposed by myself, with a herb crust.

Finished lamb although mine went in the freezer uncooked, so this is the tutors.

Hardest part of the day: Dealing with the lamb bones.

Best part of the day: The moment I cut into my chocolate pudding and found fondant and not sponge!

Thursday

Choux pastry

Finished profiteroles with chocolate and toffee sauces, filled with creme patissiere

The most divine Swiss onion tart. Nice pastry if I say so myself

Hardest part of the day: A very difficult pork dish and presentation challenge which I forgot to take pictures of. Whoopsie, must have been the stress!
Best part of the day: Making a fab pastry case.

Catching up and Bettys

2012-04-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

So a great deal has changed for me in the past 6 weeks. I was busy towards the end of February wrapping up everything in Korea and saying farewell to some excellent friends. March was my first month back in sunny England and my my, how I have gorged myself on cheese, apple pie and other long awaited treats.
I have been job hunting and spent rather a lot of time looking into supply teaching work, but as I have had a long planned 10 day cookery course booked in at the renowned Bettys of Harrogate I decided to see if there were any jobs available there. Working at Bettys would be an absolute dream, especially if it allowed me to develop skills and enjoy my work.

So I applied and I got a job working at Bettys Harlow Carr in Harrogate!!! :)

So I am one very pleased little lady. But back to the current turn of events, I have today worked myself into an exhaustion cooking up a storm. It was day one of my much anticipated cookery course.
Today we learnt knife skills including crudities, brunoise and julienne, Chicken stock, Beef stock, Vegetable soup, Houmous, Victoria sponge, Buttercream, Roast red pepper sauce, Chicken basil and parma ham, Pomme puree and Sauteed courgette.

Although I have previously made a few of these things many times, it was interesting learning about the reasoning behind each and every ingredient, the importance of how and why chefs hold their knives in a certain way and the painstaking attention you must pay when skimming the scum from a good Chicken stock!

Vegetable Soup and Houmous with crudities- Betty certificate course.

Feed back for my Houmous and crudites was excellent, apparently my batons were perfectly cut into equal lengths and widths, my soup needed a little more seasoning.

Victoria Sponge - Bettys certificate course.

The Vic sponge looks so good, but I am saving it for the weekend so didn't get to sample it. The key point I took away from this quite simple recipe was aeration and more aeration. Also it's helpful to use a thermometer inside the oven to ensure your oven is the perfect temp. The original Victoria sponge was sprinkled with castor sugar and not icing sugar. It looks a bit like it is smiling!

Chicken, basil and parma ham with roasted pepper sauce, pomme puree and sauteed courgette- Bettys certificate course.

My main dish of chicken and parma ham was presented in threes which is apparently a nice number for the eye to look upon.

Hardest part of the day: Pushing my potatoes through a sieve.
Funnest part: Piping butter cream onto my sponge cake!

There are a variety of people on the course, including a lady from Japan who is working next to me.
I am looking forward to the next 9 days. Tomorrow will be a day of study towards our food hygiene certificate....

Korean Ginseng

2012-02-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

Ginseng is a root plant and one of both North and South Korea's proudest crops. Ginseng is used as a herbal medicine to boost immune systems and energy levels and is seen as a product to calm the mind and body. It is believed to clear the blood of toxins, aid digestion, combat cancer cells and help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Interestingly it can be sold as candy but common forms include powder, tea or health supplements such as tonic drinks or capsules. The root grows in a long shape and it is thought a root resembling a human form is the best and most valuable. In October, Korea hosts the Youngju Punggi Ginseng Festival and visitors can dig for the herb themselves.

We each received a generously big box of this stuff for both major Korean holidays from our school director this year, but I only recently plucked up the courage to try it. On both Thanks Giving and Lunar New Year we were faced with occassions of gift giving. Ginseng is considered an expensive and thoughtful present.

Ginseng

The drink itself tastes like wood bark and is a very strong flavour. I dilute mine with a little water and try to drink it in one shot! It is not the most delicious taste, but it certainly feels healthy and wholesome. It was also recommened as a potent hangover cure by my boss and it does seems to do the trick!

Shot of Ginseng

It is a huge business amoung tourists and is world reknown for its stamina building properties as a tonic elixir. It can be bought in every city and in some cities there are herbal markets dedicated to selling the stuff. In Daegu there is a famous Oriental medicine street and walking down here, you can see huge vats filled with spindley roots. It is like walking into Professor Snape's Potions classroom! If given the chance, I really think it is within your interests to sample a glass. But as far as candy goes, I would stick to toffee!

Ginseng health drink

Runny Scotch Eggs

2012-02-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

Once again, Tom and I are obsessing about English food as we count down the days until we are home to Blighty. I remember when I first became vegetarian aged 12, I found it difficult to adjust. I was always looking for snacks I could eat. A healthy egg snack seemed like a good idea so I ate one of the mini Scotch eggs you can buy at the supermarket only to be reminded it was made from sausage meat. What a wally! I have since refined my snack search aged 26 and so I left this adventure to Tom.

So, we challenged ourselves to one of Heston Blumenthal's scientific recipes and the result was the perfect runny Scotch egg. Heston is a celebrity chef in the UK. He basically tries to perfect traditional dishes using laboratory precision. The key to making the perfect Scotch egg is to make sure the eggs remain runny, while the sausage coating is allowed to become crispy. Heston cooks the eggs for only three minutes in boiled water off the heat and they are then thrust into ice water to make sure they stay only 3minute eggs! This makes the eggs very difficult to peel, and of course Heston makes it look easy!

Scotch egg preparation

Wrapping a delicate runny boiled egg in sausage meat.

He then wraps the eggs in the sausage meat mixture using clingfilm so as to ensure complete smooth coverage. A flour dusting is coated on the meat and then each egg is deep fried at a precise temperature for 2 minutes. This ensure the coating is crispy but the meat and egg remain cool.
The eggs are then baked for ten minutes to cook the sausage through without the heat reaching the runny yolk center.

Crispy coated Scotch eggs fresh from the oven.

The result is the perfect runny Scotch egg! They do look delicious, don't you think!
Magnificent work! We were very tentative towards the eggs and luckily they came out very well! I kind of wanted to nibble on one they looked so good.
Full recipe details here.

Runny Scotch eggs.

Spinach Breakfast Muffins

2012-02-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Spinach Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

15g butter
1tsp sugar
150ml milk
1/2 tsp dried yeast
1/2tsp nutmeg
good handful washed spinach
225g flour
pinch salt

Method

1. Melt the butter and sugar together in a pan, remove from the heat and add the milk and yeast. The hot pan should warm the milk, don't let it get too hot.
2. Heat the spinach in a pan with a spinkle of water until it wilts.
3. Sift the flour,salt and nutmeg together. Add the spinach and gradually add the milk mixture.
4. Bring together into a dough. Knead this for 10 minutes then leave to rise in a warm place for 30mins.
5. Stretch it out, cut into small balls and fry in a dry pan with a little flour for 5 minutes each side.

You can serve with eggs or lashings of butter. :)

Cranberry Bakewell - Jamie's Britain

2012-02-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

Cranberry Bakewell Tart

It was such a pleasure watching Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie's Great Britain'. Despite my vegetarian tendencies, I was even salivating at the roasts and pork pies! I think it must be nearly time for me to get back to my homeland!
One of the best episodes was in Derbyshire and particularly tempting was the cranberry bakewell tart!
I decided to give it a go a couple of Sundays ago and here are the results! A tart-but-sweet tart! This recipe is adapted very slightly as I couldn't find all the ingredients.

Jamie's Cranberry Bakewell

Ingredients

Filling/ Jam
300g cranberries (frozen or dried)
zest and juice of one orange
I used re hydrated dried berries; wash them in hot water to remove oil, put them in a pan with 100ml water and the orange juice. Simmer for 10mins remove from the heat and leave covered for one hour.
150g sugar

Batter/ Frangipane
100g walnuts crushed or blitzed
100g almonds crushed or blitzed
250g butter
250g sugar
zest and juice of a lemon
zest and juice of an orange
3 eggs
60g plain flour

St Clements icing
1/2 orange and 1/2 a lemon juiced and zested
100g icing sugar

Sweet shortcrust pastry- makes 500g
500g plain flour
50g sugar
250g cold butter cubed
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs
a splash of milk

(the additional pastry dough can be frozen to use later)

Instructions

1. Make the filling. Place the sugar and cranberries into a saucepan or wok. Leave on a low heat and stir occasionally to ensure all berries are evenly warmed through.
2. Make the pastry. Rub the butter into the sifted flour using your finger tips. Once resembling bread crumbs, add the sugar, bind together with the lemon, eggs and milk until it is a soft sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
3. Make the batter. Blend the sugar and butter until creamy, use a mixer or a wooden spoon but make sure it is light and fluffy. Add the blitzed nuts, lemon and orange zest/juice and eggs. Mix well & add the flour.
4. Take the pastry out the fridge. Roll out on a floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Tease it into the folds of a greased baking tray, preferably one with a removable bottom. Bake this blind for 12 minutes using baking beans or lentils.
5. Checking on your cranberries, taste for tartness and add more sugar if necessary, cook to reduce liquid but be careful not to burn the sugar. Add the lemon and orange juice/zest to finish.
6. Place the berry filling into the pastry case. Hold a bit back for dressing. Top with dollops of the batter.
7. Sprinkle with some of the remaining berries on the top. You could use the additional pastry to make a lattice or decorate the top.
8. Bake on 170C for 45-50 minutes.
9. Make the icing. Mix 100g sifted icing sugar with a little lemon and orange juice until a thick runny consistency is made. Drizzle lightly over the cooled tart.

Delicious!

Slice of chewy cranberry bakewell tart

Lunar New Year Bite

2012-02-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

On Lunar New Year's Day, Tom and I took a little trip into downtown Masan- Hapseongdong. It had been ages since we went to the movies and I realised how much I have been missing it. No cinema will ever beat Scunthorpe Vue cinema for comfort, but I can hold out hope. It is a funny thing in Korea, at any time there must be at least 75% Korean movies playing in any theatre at any one time. This means that usually there are only one or two English movies on at once. It can be slim pickings, but good old Tom Cruise did pull through with some all out action in Mission Impossible 4 (are they still making those movies? Turns out, yes. Not too shoddy)!

Before the film, we went for a quick lunch as we had nothing in the fridge and the supermarket was closed due to the holiday. We picked this tiny and very basic cafe style noodle restaurant. There was one young girl working and she seemed happy enough to be there despite the national holiday- true Korean work ethics.

It is traditional in Korea to eat a rice cake soup or ttokk-guk, on New Year's Day. The Koreans believe that eating this clear soup symbolises the start of the new year. It seemed fitting then, that although this was a ramen restaurant, we should order the spicy rice cake ramen. You can see the rice cake slices or 'ttokk' sitting proudly on top of my noodles. I felt rather auspicious eating this spicy soup. It also made my nose run!

Ttokk ramen - rice cake spicy noodles - Korea

In addition to the ramen, we ordered these cool heart shaped rice balls. Mixed into the sticky rice were some seaweed and mixed vegetables. The sticky texture allows the rice to be moulded into heart shapes. They were delicious with the wasabi and soy dip. This was served with the usual kimchi and yellow radish (daan moo ji) preserves which I love! I actually found one of the moulds in the shop today which is what made me think of writing about them. I am sure I will have some fun experimenting with these!

Rice ball shapers

Heart-shaped rice balls

The other funny thing about this restaurant was the decor. The walls were absolutely covered from top to bottom in post it notes from patrons. There were Korean, English, Konglish, doodle and love themed notes. It was hard to pick out any in particular because of the sheer volume of them!
I also noticed, and I love this about Korea, that they had cleverly installed some cheap as chips decor in the form of instant noodle sheets. The light box behind made an interesting feature amongst the post it chaos.

Post it mad and kooky ramen wall art!

Lunar New Year Gifts

2012-02-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Rice cakes of various flavours

Lunar New Year is a time for gift giving. Traditional gifts include rice cakes, sweet treats and ginseng. For both new year and thanksgiving this year, our school gave a us a generous helping of ginseng. But our good friends got two huge packs of rice cakes. My Korean teacher Helen also had a big box to share.

The rice cakes are more like a puffed syrupy rice roll and have green tea, berry or honey flavours. They look really pretty and have the texture of polystyrene but I really like them! The boxes come wrapped up in a delicate pink carrier for easy transportation.

Traditional Korean gift box

The cakes our friends Grat and Leslie received included some really delicious sesame seed sticky cubes, although there was one shocking seaweed and sesame treat which was less treat, more surprise, and not in a good way.

Korean gift box of Lunar New Year treats

There were also some sweet and greasy pastry cakes with rich cinnamon and poppy seed flavours. These were by far my favourite! Soft and chewy but incredibly satisfying. These babies leave you wanting more!

So if you receive a box of these traditional sweets, don't be afraid to try them all, but watch out for the green ones! They may look pretty but the flavours can vary from bitter or sweet to bland, but all are very chewy and incredibly different to what our western palates are used to. Much better than getting the SPAM gift boxes I have seem about town.

Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry

2012-02-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

Delicious coconut curry with a light spice. The sweet pumpkin makes this a real treat. If you leave it to stand for half an hour or so and then reheat, the curry becomes thicker and even more creamy. Give it a whirl.

Chickpea and pumpkin curry

Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients

1 tbs oil

1 onion finely sliced

Curry paste

1 kg pumpkin cut into small chunks

3 cups of water (750ml)

420g chickpeas drained

1 chunky cut carrot

140ml coconut milk (powdered coconut milk is really useful and is what I used)

20 bay leaves

To make the curry paste mix the following in a separate bowl;

1 tbs oil

1tsp curry powder

4 cm fresh ginger finely chopped

2 tbs coriander powder

4 cloves garlic thinly sliced

1 chili finely sliced

1 tsp tumeric

Method

1. Heat the oil and cook the onions until browned.

2. Add the curry paste and lightly fry for a minute or two.

3. Add the pumpkin and carrot chunks and coat in the paste.

4. Cover with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Stir in the chickpeas and coconut milk.

6. Cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat or until the pumpkin in soft.

7. Make sure to pull the bay leaves out if you can to avoid chewing on a leaf.

Korean Jjin Bang 찐빵 and Dumplings

2012-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

Jjin Bang and Dumpling vendor, Korea

I was pleasantly surprised about a month ago when this vendor opened up in the building right near our academy. The little food hatch sells steamed meat dumplings and delicious red bean filled buns. The jjin bang breads are a fluffy, yeasty piping hot sweet bread filled with a soft red bean paste. They cost 1,000won which is about 70p and they are worth every penny.

Now I can't speak for the meat dumplings, but from appearances the soft steamed dough surrounding the fresh herby meat and vegetables, are dripping with moisture and warming a sa freezing cold post-teaching snack. Both are sensationally tempting and the family who run the place are generous with smiles and heating. They let us hide in the warmth of their kitchen instead of hundling around the steamers while we waited for ours to cook fresh.

Cinema scope jjin bang and dumpling vendor

Steaming pans filled with Korean snacks

The steam fills the air around the entrance of the vendors warm cave and the huge stacked metal steamers gush out plumes of sweet smelling savoury treats. The paper bags the breads are put into, crinkle around the fluffy bang (bread) and keep your hands warm as you walk home....delicious!

Fun Food Pics from 2011

2012-01-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a few of my favourite pictures from last year, from cake fights with chopsticks to feeding monkeys. 2011 was a good year for me and my tasty journey....

Kicking off the year in France - Coulommiers cheese

Tea Party Baby Shower

English Breakfast with my Besties in London

Feeding Monkeys in India

Epic Fast Food Lasagne

Daewoo Department Store Buffet

Pork at Cheonggye Stream Food Market

Takoyaki Stand in Osaka

Dinner with our Director - Teaching in Korea

4 tiered pancakes and 2 mugs of tea

Good friends.

Cooking Classes in Korean!

Coconut Flour Crust, Blueberry and Cardamon Tart.

2012-01-25T02:50:00.000-08:00

Blueberry and cardamon tart.

As it is January, I have been looking for some low sugar and low carb recipes to curb our sweet tooth. So many of the snack foods in Korea have high sugar content, and Tom and I are both trying to take the sugar highroad which can be difficult.

So last week, I scoured the Internet and pieced together this low carb, coconut flour crust recipe based around a few different recipe ideas. The cardamon really comes through and makes up for the lack of sugar. This really has interesting flavour and a satisfying taste!

Coconut Flour Crust, Blueberry and Cardamon Tart

Ingredients make one large, or two small tarts. Serves about 8.

Crust Ingredients

55g (1/2 cup) coconut flour

55g (1/2 cup) almond flour

2 eggs

3tbsp honey

60ml (1/4 cup) coconut oil or 55g butter

pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients

700ml (3.5 cups) frozen blueberries

zest and juice of one lemon

1 tbsp plain flour

1tsp ginger

1tsp ground cardamon (make sure you grind seeds well to avoid big scented lumps)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp butter

2 tbsp honey

1tbsp molasses sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. Mix the flour and salt, add the honey and then gradually combine with the whisked eggs and melted coconut oil or butter.

3. Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking paper. It may crack in places as you lift it off the floured board, but this is because coconut flour absorbs more moisture that ordinary flour. Line the greased baking tin with the pastry and mend any tears.

4. Pierce the base with a fork and bake for 12 mins and then allow to cool.

5. While this is cooking, combine the filling ingredients in a pan and simmer for around 15-20 minutes or until you are certain all the berries are warmed through.

6. Combine the berry mixture with the tart case and cool in the fridge for one hour.

7. Serve with cream or ice cream or on it's own!